The Nearest Miss
by BrieflyDel
Summary: A girl finds out the hard way that there really ARE werewolves in the Forbidden Forest...


> Hermione: "That was still really dangerous! Running around in the dark with a werewolf! What if you'd given the others the slip, and bitten somebody?   
Lupin: A thought that still haunts me. And there were near misses, many of them...

Lily glared at Remus, who sat sprawled all over the table, watching her with his head resting on his arms. "Look, this is supposed to be a _team _thing! One of us turns the book _into _a rocking horse, and the other turns it _back_ while McGonagall watches!" 

Remus raised his eyebrows at her lazily. "Come off it, Lil. It's Friday afternoon before Easter holidays. Can't you stop being perfect for a _little _while?" But he saw McGonagall inspecting Peter and Bertha's horse, whose back still bore the title of their book, three tables over. He looked back at his partner. In a softer voice, he replied, "Look, I'm hopeless at changing things. You turn it into the horse and I'll turn it back." 

Lily pursed her lips. "Come on, Remus, that's the way we've done it most of this term! You're going to have to do it on your own for the exam, you know." But now McGonagall was praising the saddle on Molly and Stephen's rocking horse, and was moving on to James and Sirius, right next to them. "All right," she sighed, and her copy of _Hogwarts, A History _turned into a white plush rocking horse with a red cardboard saddle. 

McGonagall gave Lily an 8 out of 10 for the horse since its tail and mane were made out of pages, but Remus earned a perfect score as Lily's book returned to its original state, the cover bent in all the right places. As the professor moved on to Cosmo and William next to them, James and Sirius sidled over. 

"Peter's fraternizing with the enemy," Sirius smirked. 

"What?" said Remus, his brow furrowed. 

"Bertha. You know, that nosy Hufflepuff girl he's partnered with." 

"Oh yeah, the match." Remus peered between James and Sirius' arms and then remarked, "I don't suppose either of them can help it." 

James looked at Lily. "Are you coming to the match tomorrow, then? If we beat Hufflepuff we're up for the cup with Ravenclaw." 

She shrugged. "I have some chapters of this I need to read up for Binns, but if I'm done with that, yeah, I'll go." 

Sirius clucked his tongue and made a wicked face. "Dear me, Lily, don't you ever get out? I can think of _plenty _of other uses for a book than reading it!" He snatched it. "Here James, think quick!" He tossed it up and it levitated a few inches out of reach. 

"Hey!" Lily protested. She lifted her wand. _"Accio my book!"_

_"Impendio incantem," _James shot back. He raised his own wand and said, _"Tranfiguro leo avii!" _Lily's book was suddenly a red, cat-sized flying lion, which hovered above them, flexing its legs and wings. As Remus laughed, Sirius jumped and caught the lion, then conjured a string and tied it around its midsection. He handed it to Lily like a circus balloon. 

James flashed her a buffoonish grin. "Come to the match tomorrow," he said. The bell rang, and with a whoop Sirius dashed out the door, followed by his two friends. Lily sat, astounded, looking at her book-cum-lion. McGonagall glanced up from her desk and saw the little Gryffindor mascot. 

"Ah, finally coming out for the team, Miss Evans?" she asked with a slight smile. 

* * * 

"Lily?" Emma Donnelson, one of her four roommates, knocked on their dormitory door. "Lily, are you in there?" 

She heard a muffled thump, and a crash. "Ow! Yes, I'm here. Come in! Wait, Emma!" 

"What?" 

"Don't let my book out." 

Emma sighed and edged her way inside. Lily was standing on a desk, trying to snatch the flying lion from the top of a wardrobe. "Are you coming down?" Emma asked as she watched. "It's dinner soon." 

"Yeah, just give me a sec -- ow! it bit me! Em, I'll meet you down there, I've got to catch this thing of -- hey!" The lion had suddenly launched itself toward the ceiling and was now circling. As Lily made a grab for it, it shot past her and landed on the windowsill. "Oh no you don't!" she cried, and dove toward the window, which was ajar. The book anticipated her and squeezed through the gap and tauntingly hovered on the other side of the glass. Lily groaned, and stormed past Emma. "I'll be back!" she called. "As soon as I get that monster back and _maul _James Potter!" 

Before Emma had a chance to respond, Lily had slammed the door shut and was racing down the spiral staircase. Emma shook her head. "Lily, it's only a _book_..." 

* * * 

Lily could see the silhouette of the little lion mocking her against the brilliant pink and orange of the sunset, darting about and eating moths. _It's too high up for me to reach, _she thought. She glanced around at the empty grounds. She wasn't too far from the broom shed, where Madam Hooch kept the school's worn-out Silver Arrows for their mandatory flying lessons. Lily had always been hopeless at flying, and had managed to avoid it since her fourth year. Still, catching a stupid transfigured history book shouldn't be _too _trying. She headed toward the shed, noting the direction the book was flitting in. She opened the door with a breathless _"Alohomora!" _and grabbed the first broom her hands found in the darkness. 

She hid her wand under the doormat, reasoning that she would be back within ten minutes. She then stood holding the broom in the dying sunlight uncertainly, telling herself _Come on, you know how to do this. _After several awkward attempts to mount it, she managed, and sat there trying to balance. The broom reluctantly obeyed her commands, and rose slowly skyward. 

The light was fading fast, and her stomach was rumbling. _Give it up! _said the voice of reason. _It'll come back to the castle when it gets tired..._

_But that essay is due first thing on Monday! _answered another voice. _Damn those boys!_

As she passed over Hagrid's hut, she spotted it perched on the paddock fence, sniffing the gamekeeper's deerhound, Sheila. Lily was fairly high up by this time, however -- about thirty feet -- and she wasn't entirely sure how to make the broom go down. She thought about Quidditch matches -- what did they do after the game? Hesitantly she pointed the hand down. 

A mistake. She shot earthward, and only missed crashing into the vegetable garden by inches. She shrieked, and jerked the handle up again. But the broom had sensed an inexperienced rider and panicked. It veered up high, lunged to the left, and was barreling straight for a tree -- 

Lily scream as the flailing branches of the Whomping Willow lashed out and hit her. The broom and its rider were roughly tossed from limb to stinging limb. When she finally landed on the main trunk, Lily gace a sigh of relief. _Forget the book,_ she panted in her head, _I'm getting back to the castle!_

Yet the tree had other plans. Lily felt the trunk bend back, and a sinking feeling erupted in her growling stomach. The Willow pitched her out over the trees and she was jettisoned through the night, too shocked to scream. 

* * * 

Luckily, the bushes she landed in, somewhere deep in the reaches of the Forbidden Forest, did not hit back. She lay still, a dull aching throb overtaking the sharp pains in her body. An hour passed: by the time she could move again, the full moon was high and bright in the sky. 

_Well, lucky for that. At least I won't be fumbling around in circles in the dark. _She gingerly picked herself up and, shaking, stood. Lily had never felt more lost or alone in her life. The moonlight created shadow everywhere; various animals were hooting and chirping and screeching and whirring, and she was sure she heard something resembling a roar in the distance. _If only I had my wand! _she cursed desperately. _Point Me. That's all it would take._

_Ah well. Let's see what you remember from Girl Guides with Petunia, Lily Evans. _She craned her neck to try and spot the moon, which should be in a fairly easterly direction. _Hogwarts is...Hogwarts is east of the Forbidden Forest, right? So if I just follow the moon..._

As she was turning to try and leave the clearing, a sight met her eyes that made her freeze. A huge wolf was watching her from the edge of the trees; right behind it, at its shoulder, she could just make out the outline of an enormous dog. 

Lily had never taken much stock in the rumors that there were werewolves in the Forbidden Forest, but as she and the creature exchanged stares, an essay she'd written her second year for Defense Against the Dark Arts came rushing back: 

_werewolves are different from true wolves because werewolves have shorter snouts and smaller ears and darker fur and their eyes glow slightly red --!!!_

She watched helplessly as the werewolf lunged toward her. _I'm going to become a werewolf! I'm going to be bitten and it will all be -- be -- I'm --_

A gigantic brown creature suddenly filled her vision. It had charged out of the brush and bowled the werewolf over. Enraged, the werewolf was desperately clawing and biting at the animal, but by this time the large dog had tackled it, and was holding it back. 

The creature bounded over to Lily. _It's a stag, _she thought numbly. _Just like in King Arthur..._

The stag was on its knees, kneeling and making frantic tosses of its magnificent head. _It wants me up on its back...I...suppose I'd better..._

She was still busy -- entranced -- watching the dog and the werewolf fight: she didn't make a move until the stag snorted urgently and swung his antlers toward her, into her hand. She climbed up, still dazed, and they fled, abandoning the wild howls behind them. 

The forest flew by very quickly. Lily didn't even consider that the stag didn't know where he was going. 

At one point the werewolf caught up with them again. He leapt at Lily, snapping, and the stag dealt him a sharp kick in his side. Lily heard a crack, and the werewolf collapsed, whimpering. The stag continued running, bearing Lily along like a feather. 

* * * 

They reached the lake just as blueness was seeping into the sky. The stag knelt down and Lily slid off, landing on the ground in a heap. The stag headed into the water, and stood where the lake covered his bleeding flanks. They gazed at each other in a bewildered sort of way, although there was something comforting about the stag's countenance that made Lily calm. 

He really was a very fine creature. By the faint glow of dawn, Lily could make out some features now. He was much darker than pictures of other stags: his antlers at least were ebony-black, and he had strange dark patches around his eyes. 

Like a child, Lily felt herself reach out with her hand to touch the muzzle. The stag stood there, perfectly still, but the nearer her hand came, the darker and blurrier he got... until finally he became night and Lily knew no more. 

* * * 

She awoke in a bed that didn't belong to her. The sky was darkening: it was sunset. She rolled over, trying to figure out where she was. 

Remus was sitting on the bed to her left. His head was bowed and his shoulders were hunched. He looked paler and thinner than usual. Something thick and battered lay beside him. 

_I'm in the hospital. Why am I in the hospital? Oh yes -- because -- because --_

Remus noticed she was awake and a relieved smile broke across his ashen face. Lily noticed that the circles under his eyes were more pronounced than ever. "Lily!" he breathed. "You're alive!" 

Lily gave a short, amazed laugh. "And why should I be dead, Remus? That little monster of James's wasn't enough to do _me _in..." 

The smile vanished from Remus's face. "Lily, I..." He seemed to be choking on his words. Finally he whispered, "I'm really sorry about... what happened to you last night." 

She sat up in her bed, and stared at Remus, her green eyes searching for something he wasn't saying. When she spoke next, however, she had changed the subject, "How... how was the was Quidditch match?" 

Remus shrugged, and stared out the window. "I don't know. We won, but I didn't go." 

"Why not?" 

He looked at his feet. "It was an illness..." After a long pause, a timid and apologetic smile appeared on his wan face. "But... I found your book." He handed her the ill-treated copy of _Hogwarts, A History, _the cover bent in all the right places. 


End file.
